Packer for well-testing devices



July 29, 1930. E. H. cox

PACKER FOR WELL TESTING DEVICES Filed June e, 1927 aww Patented July 29,1930 UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE i ERNEST H. COX, OF DUNCAN, OKLAHOMAPACKER FOR WELL-TESTING DEVICES Application led .Tune 6, 1927. SerialNo. 198,758.

pending application #165,984, filed February 4, 1927. In the use of suchtestin devices it is usual to provide a small ho e at the bottom of theWell shaft, usually termed a rat hole, and it is from this hole that the10 sample of oil to be tested is taken. Obviously, the upper end of therat hole must be sealed off from the main portion of the well so as topermit of a proper sample being taken.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a packerwhich will serve to effectively seal off communication between thebottom of the well and/the rat hole irrespective of the particularnature ofthe formation in which the device is being used.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the artfrom the following description when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings; in which,

igure 1 is a perspective view of the device in operation; and f Figure 2is a vertical longitudinal Section therethrough.

Referring to the drawings more specifically the numeral 1 designates thedrill stem or pipe generally used in oil wells and attached' to thelower end thereof is the oil Well testing device generally indicated bythe numeral 2 and firmly united to ,the drill stem by means of aconventional type of coupling.

The testing device whose purpose is to secure a sample of the liquid atthe bottom of the well, consists of an inner tube 4 on the exterior ofwhich is slidably mounted an eX- ternal sleeve 5. The tube and sleeveare provided with a plurality of perforations 6 and 7 respectively whichare normally held out of registration by means of a coil spring 8. 'Ihis coil spring has its upper end bearing against a shoulder 9 formed onthe tube 4, and its lower end bearing on a packing secured to the sleeve5. A pin and slot connection 10 is formed on the sleeve and tube toprovide a limit forthe relative movement between the tube and sleeve.

, In using oil well testing devices it is usual y to provide at thebottom of thewell shaft and 1n alignment therewith a hole of slightlysmaller diameter than the main shaft, and this hole is generally termeda rat hole, the purpose being to direct the testing device into the rathole and seal off the upper end of the rat hole from the pressure ofliquids in the main shaft. To this end I have provided a packer 11 whichconsists of va solid steel collar of relatively large diameter andnecessarily of greater diameter than the diameter of the rat hole. Thiscollar 11 has its outer wall tapered from its middle section upwardlyand downwardly toward the axis of the tube somewhat in the shape of abarrel. The packer 11 is threaded to the upper end of the sleeve 5 asindicated by numeral 12 and, as hereinbefore stated forms a seat for thelower end of the spring 8.

As indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the packer 11 seats on the uper endofthe rat hole and thereby serves as a stop to limit downward movementof the sleeve 4; it bein understood that when the tube 1 is release theWeight thereof will cause the compression of the spring 8 with theresult that the tube 4 will slide downwardly with respect to the sleeve5 thereby bringing the opening 6 in the tube into registration with theopening 7 of the sleeve so as to permit the ingress of liquid containedin the rat hole.

Where the ground being operated upon is soft and pliable the packer 11will of itself forma suflicient seal at the top of the rat hole to shutoff communication between the main shaft and the rat hole. Where theGround is hard, however, the upper end of the rat hole will be more orless jagged and perhaps contain cracks; under such circumstances, thepacker 11 would not form a tight seal and it is therefore necessary toprovide a supplemental seal or packer which will effectively cooperatewith the wall of the rat hole7 to seal off the pressure from above.

To this end I have provided a plurality of flexible rings 13 preferably.of fibre. These rings are spaced apart in a series along a portionofthe length of the sleeve 5 and metal washers 14 are interposed betweenthe rings to retain them in properly spaced relation. The series ofalternate rings and washers abut at their upper end against the lowerend of the packer 11 und a coupling 15 is threaded onto a reduced endof' the packer l1 to fixedly secure the series of rings and washers inplace.

As will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 2, an essentialfeature'of the washers 14 is to provide spaced into which the upperedges of the rings, which are of greater diameter than the washers, maybe flexed. This flexing or bending of the rin s is, of course,accompanied by contact of t 1e edges of the rings with the wall of therat hole as the testing device is moved into position, and it will beapparent that this resilient pressure of the rings against the wall ofthe rat hole will form an exceptionally tight seal against the pressurescontained in the main shaft of the well.

In operation, the well being bored and the rat hole formed in the lowerend thereof,

the testing device as herein described, is attached to the lower end ofthe tubing 1 and lowered into the well. As the device reaches theposition shown'on the drawing the packer 11., will engage and seat uponthe upper end of'the rat hole and ferm a stop to further downwardmovement of the sleeve 5, and if the grounds sufficiently soft, vwillform a tight seal at the upper end of the rat hole to prevent theentrance thereto of liquids from above.

' The positioning of the testing device into the rat hole will alsocause the annular edges of the rings 13 'to be flexed upwardly and heldin'tight contact with the wall of the rat hole, as disclosed in Figure2, and thereby form a tight seal against pressures from above. Thislatter sealor packer'will thus serve to supplement the sealing effect ofthe packer 11, being'of especialusefulness where thewell is sunk in hardground. Asthe tube 1 is released from above its weight will cause thespring 8 to collapse and thus bring the openings 6 and 7into'registration so as to permit a sample of the liquid in the bottomof the crat hole to run into'the interior of the tube. The entireapparatus is then withdrawn and the sample examined.

From the foregoing description considered 4in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it will be observed that I have devised acombination of packers as well as individual packers which areespecially well adapted for use in oil well testing devices and whichare effective to a high degree in sealing'off f the rat hole fromressures above' such best embodiment of the invention, but I do not wishto be understood thereby as limiting myself or the scope of theinvention; as many changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention; all such I aim to includewithin the scope of the appended claims.

- What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an oil well testing device including a perforated tube and arelatively movable perforated sleeve, a packer secured to the upper endof the sleeve and adapted. to serve as a stop to limit downward movementof the sleeve, andan additional packer secured to the sleeve below saidfirst-mentioned packer.

2. In an oil well testing device including a perforated tube and arelatively movable perforated sleeve, a packer comprising a steel.

collar of relatively large diameter secured to said sleeve, said collarhaving a rounded outer wall and adapted to serve as a stop to limitdownward movement of the sleeve, and an additional packer secured to thesleeve below said iirst-mentioned packer.

El. In an oil well testing device including a perforated tube and a.relatively movable perforated sleeve, a packer secured to the upper endof the sleeve -and adapted to serve as a stop to limit downward movementof the sleeve, and an additional packer secured to the sleeve below saidfirst-mentioned packer and comprising a plurality of flexible ringsencircling said sleeve. n

4;. In an oil well testing device including a perforated tube and arelatively movable perorated sleeve, a packer secured to the upper endof the sleeve and adapted to serve as a stop to limit downward movementof the sleeve, and an additional packer secured to the sleeve below saidfirst-mentioned packer and comprising a plurality of rings of flexiblematerial spaced apart by metallic washers.

5. In an oil well testing device for rat holes, a sleeve, a packersecured t0 the upper end of the sleeve and of sufficient diameter toengage the upper end of the hole, and a second packer including aplurality of substantially flat, flexible rings of greater diameter thanthe hole and adapted to be flexed upwardly.

6. In an oil well testing device for rat holes, a sleeve, a packersecured to the upper end of the sleeve and of suiiicient diameter toengagey and seat upon the upper end of the hole, and a second packerincluding a plurality of substantially iat,` flexible rings ofgreaterdiameter than the hole, and a plurality of metal washersinterposed between said rings whereby the edges of the ringsare adaptedto be flexed upwardly.

ERNEST H. COX.

lon

